The me behind the mask
by MrWriterWriter
Summary: ONESHOT. Naruto gives a little insight on himself and what he thinks about certain people in his life. Rated T for swearing.


**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. Nope, no I don't.**

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"Rest in peace, guys." It's been a month since they died on the bridge and I've felt kinda guilty not visiting them sooner. Considering Zabuza's last words after killing Gato, I realized there was more to Zabuza than just the missing-nin we fought to protect Tazuna. Even though he truly believed he was nothing more than the 'Demon of The Hidden Mist's tool, Haku really was a decent guy in my honest opinion. I had more in common with him than either of us let on; his own father tried to kill him simply because of his Kekkai Genkai, something he had whether he wanted it or not. Until he met Zabuza, he spent his life on the streets after killing a group of people led by his dad that were hellbent on exterminating him.

Hm..hated for something you have no control over..

Kinda describes my life to a T, don't it? Called 'monster', 'demon', looked down on everywhere..

All because that fox was sealed into me when I was born. Sometimes I wonder about the IQ of my village. As far as their concerned, I am Kyuubi..but if I really was, I mean if I was actually the same fox that attacked..in human form, wouldn't it sink in that all they were doing was provoking me into wiping them off the map?

Ignorant pricks, the lot of them.

Don't get me wrong, I know there are a few who don't see me like that. Old man Ichiraku and Ayame know about my 'condition' but they don't care. Hell, they actually brought me lunch a few times when I was in the hospital after some of my run ins with the dumbass side of the village. Ichiraku once said Ayame-Chan was a chunin for a little while before she quit to help him out. Guess that proves the saying that the pretty ones are the most dangerous.

Yeah, you heard me, I think Ayame's pretty. Who wouldn't think that? Bright red hair down to her shoulders when it's not tied up under that cloth, bright brown eyes, a smile that's as relaxing as a dozen bowl's of ramen. Add all that with a body that you can't help but enjoy looking at, and you got a girl I wouldn't mind living next door to.

That's not to say Hinata Hyuuga a 'Plain Jane' herself. She's pretty attractive in her own right, and I've seen her without that coat on...DAMN! That thing she does with her fingers is kinda cute too. She's a nice gal, though she needs to work on that nervous stutter she gets sometimes.

What? Surprised that "Konoha's No.1 Hyperactive Knucklehead' would notice girls besides Sakura? Hnf..gimmie SOME credit. Granted, for a while...and in all honesty, i'm ashamed to admit this...I thought about her in almost the same fashion she thinks about Sasuke. It took me till halfway into my time at the academy to see underneath what I thought was the perfect girl and find a disappointment. The only reason she even enrolled to be a ninja was to be around him; the only times I ever saw her apply something remotely resembling to tai or ninjutsu was to punish some perceived insult against her or Uchiha.

Ino..well, she's ok. She's still an Uchiha fangirl, but at least all I have to deal with is yelling from her. She does train too, I'll give her that much.

I'm getting off on a rant here, so I'll just go on. Next up would have to be the Hokage. If it wasn't for him, I'd probably be a rotting carcass in an an ally. He's the reason I had a place to live as well as getting me into the academy. I know he tried to do more, but those assholes on the council stymied him on that. That law he passed forbidding anyone from talking about what I have stuck inside me didn't help much, though. Can't really blame him though. You can find a way around just about any law if you look hard enough.

Then there's Iruka-Sensei. Granted, when we first met, he was somewhat leery about me being there; but thankfully he managed to break away from that. Gotta give him credit, he's the only one who can catch me when I go on the run after a prank. If I classified him as a family member...it'd be something between uncle and older brother.

"Oi! Dobe! Quit wasting time and get your stuff! Kakashi said we're leaving a few minutes."

Great..his emo-ness, "Yeah, yeah. Keep your shirt on!"

"NARUTO YOU BAKA!" Kami! Sometimes I swear she uses a jutsu to make her voice that screechy.."Sasuke-Kun said to get going! Move your lazy butt!"

"I'm trying to pay my respects! I'll get my things when I'm done, so the both of you can shut the hell up!" Yeah, maybe it wasn't a good idea to respond like that, but I've had just about enough of the bullshit I have to put up with on this team. Besides, I have to grin to myself when I see the expressions on their face. Neither of them were expecting me to snap back, and it feels damn good too!

I watch over my shoulder, daring them to make a stink about it, as Sakura walks off looking slightly pale. Sasuke just scowls a little bit harder than normal before doing the same. Knowing them, they'll probably have Kakashi come out here to scold me for yelling at them.

Why no 'sensei' when I said his name, you ask? The term only applies to teachers; ever since Team 7 came to be, tree walking is the only thing I've learned from him. When we were doing d-ranks, every time I saw him he had his nose buried in that damn porno book. Though what really pisses me off is when we took turns guarding the workers, when I came back from guard duty, more than once I saw him and Sasuke going into the house looking exhausted.

Now, part of me is convinced the teme bats for the other team. I mean, he has enough girls after him to make a small army and any of them would probably die happy if he copped a feel, but he never even bats an eye when they come up. So, I had a few shadow clones tail them.

The bastard was SPARRING with Sasuke! What'd I get when I asked to get some training in? Shooed off and told to work my chakra control! BULLSHIT! Needless to say, that one-eyed asshole has lost what little respect I had. Last I recall, Jounin teachers favoring a student in his team over the others is highly frowned on. Guess I should've seen it coming, though; the man never seemed to mind the teme leaving off 'sensei' when he'd be quick to remind me or Sakura. Call me vindictive, call me vengeful, but I'm gonna hang his ass out to dry with the Hokage.

Hehehe..yeah, in a way I guess the real me is cold to an extent.

What's that? What do I mean the 'real' me? Exactly what I said. frankly, I don't remember if it was Sarutobi's idea or my own. After a while, all the hate, the glares and all the pain I felt because of it, it all started getting to me and I began hating back. Back then I had no idea what the reason was and no one would tell me why. Soon I began fighting back and I guess Sarutobi was afraid I'd start becoming what they accused me of being. After that, Loud, Happy-Go-Lucky Naruto was born; but underneath...it still festered. In a way, the ruse I put up only did more damage since everyone would look down their nose at me even more.

What is the real me, you ask? You saw a bit earlier when they tried to give me orders. I'm not exactly someone you'd call 'Mr. Sunshine' Sometimes I'd love to just drop it all together and let them know exactly who they've been jerking around with, but I gave the old man my word that I'd try and hold onto it for as long as I could.

Wouldn't be surprised if someone like Shikamaru's already seen through it, though.

Well, I better get going. Looks like they did go running to Kakashi after all, I see him coming.

Listen, sorry if I sounded like I was complaining, but I had to get that off my chest. Thanks for hearing me out on it, though.

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My first oneshot. Whaddaya think?

I'm thinking of using it as the basis of another fic if enough people like it.


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